Wheel.



T. H. WALBRIDGE.

WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1907.

Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

W1 TNESSES T. H. WALBRIDGE.

WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1907.

945,824, Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IN VENTO$ UNTTE @TATFE ATNT @FFTQE.

THOMAS H. WALBRIDGE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

WHEEL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. VAL- BRIDGE, acitizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Toledo, Lucas'county, Ohio, have invented a new anduseful Vheel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manner of disposing a wheel on itssupport, and more particularly to the positive and true centering of thetread as to the hub, and the positive and true centering of the wheel asto its support; also to the production of a weatherproof structurehaving life.

This invention has utility when adapted to that form of wheels havingspokes, in the mounting of the spokes, to centering of wheels with shorthubs, to metallic wheels which may be given a pleasing symmetricalappearance while they are most substantial and permanent owing to rigidhub construction and provision whereby shocks, expansions andcontractions are not acting to strain and destroy the device. Wheels forheavy trucking, for motor cars and for light carriages, may be sodesigned in accordance with this invention as to produce mostsatisfactory results.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation, with parts brokenaway, showing an embodiment of the invention in a vehicle wheel; Fig. 2is a fragmentary View showing a portion of a hub and felly with the tirein section; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a spoke; Fig. 4 is afragmentary View looking into the hub, the outer or cap member beingremoved; Fig. 5 is a detail view of interlocking annular hub memberspartially disengaged from each other; Fig. 6 is a sectional View of amounting of a spoke in a felly; Fig. 7 is a cross section of a fellyshowing seating of a tire; Fig. 8 is a cross section of a similar fellyadapted to a pneumatic tire; and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of ayieldable seat or mounting for the outer or felly end of the spokes.

The wheel as shown comprises a plurality of radiating spokes 1. Theportion of each spoke remote from the hub has connection with an element2 extending inward through opening 3 in felly 4. Should it be desired toadapt the wheel to a solid rubber tire. this is conveniently done byproviding reversely Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 9, 1907.

Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

Serial No. 391,875.

channeled member 5 which, while spacing the side flanges of U-shapedfelly 4, provides a holding means for tire 6.

The spoke l as shown herein is metal, tubular, and at its outer end hasfitted therein a reinforcement with a threaded extension 7 with whichthe element 2 engages. Element 2 has an enlargement 8, between which andthe felly at is interposed yieldable means 9 constituting a mounting orseat for spoke l.

The inner end of spoke 1 has hollow reinforcement 10 with a lateralextension or 0&- set 11. Reinforcement 10 of the spoke 1 has channels orundercut portions 12 extending longitudinally of the wheel into whichfit the flush tongues or spacing fingers 13 of the annular hub member14. The free ends of these spacing means 13 are reduced to extensions 15which may engage in annular groove 16 of annular cap member 17 of thehub.

Concentrically disposed in hub member 17 is recess 18 opening parallelto the plane of the wheel. Seated in this recess is ball 19 which alsofits in opposing recess 20 of support 21 held by means 22 on axle 23.The ball 19 movable relatively to recesses 18, 20, is a rotatable meanspermitting accurate centering of the wheel on its support andmaintaining the assembled structure in such true position, therebyopening a field for the successful use of short hub bearings andresulting cheaper construction.

For the retention of lubricant and exclusion of foreign matter, packing24: surrounds the single joint where there is exposed relative rotationof parts.

The bearing is shown as of anti-friction type, comprising cone 25 seatedin hub member 14, cone 26 seated in hub member 17, a series of balls 27,and bearing ring or cup 28 on support 21. In this embodiment, the wheeland bearing may be assembled as a unit, thus being adapted forattachment to various kinds of vehicles.

For special forms of tires, the wheel is susceptible to modification, asfor instance to a clencher pneumatic tire, when by means of bolts 29(Fig. 8), channel 30 may be attached to felly 4 to hold the clenchercasing 31 surrounding inner pneumatic tube 82.

In seeking to design a metal wheel stilt enough to withstand the wearand tear to which it is ordinarily subjected when used on vehicles inroad work, the tendency is to make the wheel so rigid that stresses setup internally by contraction and expansion from temperature changes, orstrains due to violent external shocks, are not modified nor equitablydistributed, so such a metal wheel early works its own destruction.Variously torming the elements ot the metal wheel to avoid this troubleleads toward unpopular or freakish appearance as well as introducesweaknesses of practical construction.

Metal has the strength, and properly disposed, may have the durability.In a device with metal joints working on metal, exposed to weather,deterioration soon sets in. \Vithout the metal joints, the strong andrigid wheel elements are self destroying. imparting lite to the wheel bypermitting give within the structure and still produc ng a sightly andweatherproof device is attained in this invention. To bring out thisimparting ot lite to the structure, the term yielding or yieldable isused and is intended to den'ne this vibration absorbing property ot thedisclosure.

The hub is a weatherproot shell. The spokes, though staggered to givelateral sta bility and maintain the wheel true, are uniform andinterlock with fingers 13 ot hub member ll, which fingers through theirextensions 15 interlock with hub member 17. The spokes, seated andpacked by rubber cushion 9 at their outer ends, have a tight joint toexclude toreign matter, although slight reciprocation ot the spokerelative to the telly is permitted to accommodate internal stresses andexternal shocks producing a flexibility analogous to that ot woodenwheels. These spokes thus held are inter locked and spaced by tongues18. By rotation of member 17 to screw the hub members together, thespokes are rigidly locked at their inner portions and a tightweatherproof hub shell is thus produced. The staggering ot the spokesthrows the telly medially ot the hub as shown in Fig. 2. In assembling,the spokes are brought against the cushioning or yieldable seating means9. Accordingly in operation when an object is encountered giving thewheel a shock, the nearer spokes permit some inward movement of thetelly, the total 0t spokes maintaining the telly in a circular form,while the remote spokes are yieldably placed under tension to carry theload, thereby resulting in a suspension wheel.

By the use of this invention a strong stitt wheel may be produced,laterally stilt as to its support. When the material ot constructionadopted is metal, toreign matter is ettectively excluded from working into weaken the wheel elements, tor at the hub there is a regular surtaceprovided by the shell members l l, 17, which so hold the spokes thatthere can be no movement to open up passages to let in moisture and gritwith resulting corrosion and destruction of the wheel elements. Likeprecaution is taken in spoke mounting at each end thereof, tor at theouter end, while there is here a joint permitting slight movement andgiving lite to the wheel, this joint is so packed by the yielding means9 that it is weatherproof. The spokes normally hold the telly member 4concentric to the wheel hub. The lateral stittening ot the wheel isaccomplished by centering means 19 and by reversely arranging theottsets 11 ot adjacent spokes so that there is such pull by alternatespokes 011 their yieldable seats 9 as to medially hold the telly l.

hat is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wheel, the combination with a hub, and spokes radially settherein, ot a telly surrounding the outer ends of said spokes, saidtelly being trough-shaped in cross-section, a detachable head secured tothe outer end of each spoke, said head comprising a plate having aprojecting socket portion into which the end ot the spoke is set, and acushion ot elastic material resting in the troughshaped telly, and inwhich the said detachable head is permanently embedded, whereby thespoke is yieldingly held in said telly, and is capable of a slightradial movement relative thereto in either direction.

2. In a wheel, the combination with a hub, and spokes rigidly settherein, ot a channel- 'shaped telly to which the outer ends of saidspokes are resiliently connected, such connection comprising adetachable head secured to the end of each spoke, said head having anenlargement extending peripherally ot said telly, and an elastic cushionsurrounding said enlargement, and lying within said channel-shapedtelly, whereby a large bearing surtace tor supporting the spoke isprovided.

3. In combination, a wheel having a hub comprising a pair o't annularmembers between which the spokes are held, a cone ring carried insideeach member and arranged to form one side of a raceway lyingsubstantially in the plane ot the wheel, an axle carrying an annularmember torming the other side ot said raceway, balls in said racewaytorming the load supporting bearing for said wheel, and a centeringdevice comprising concentrically disposed sockets formed in the end otthe axle and in one of said annular hub members respectively, and a ballfitting said sockets, and serving to maintain the parts in alinement.

l. In combination, a wheel having a hub of said load supporting bearing,serving to maintain the parts in proper position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS H. WALBRIDGE. Witnesses:

GEO. E. KIRK, FRANK M. ROGERS.

comprising a pair of annular members between which the spokes are held,a bearing surface carried inside each member, an axle carrying anopposed bearing surface, antifriction devices disposed between saidopposed surfaces and cooperating therewith to form a load supportingbearing for said wheel, and a centering device independent

